The Bitter Doctor
by Cluichee
Summary: Clara leaped into the Doctors time stream, she failed. What kind of man is the Doctor now? How has the Great Intelligence changed him and the events around him? T for reference to alcohol use. (Occasional updates to flesh out the story and make slight improvements to come, and more chapters will be on their way! Stay strong folks you are in for a wild ride)
1. Bitter

The Doctor begged bitterly as he watched the slight girl charge into his timeline to fix it. "Clara. No." He barely croaked out of his raw throat. He could barely get the words out. Already in a weakened state from Dr. Simeon jumping in, he could only lay there as the two people battled for his timeline in his time stream. His mind felt like it was about to explode, his body was on fire, and his hearts felt as though they could not keep up with the trauma. He started to writhe again in pain. The battle raged as Clara did her best to fix what went wrong, but despite all efforts there was no change. After what seemed like forever, he quieted down, as if he had no strength left to fight. His throat was dry and he barely had the vocal cords left to speak. He closed his eyes against the lingering pain. He slowed down his ragged breath so that he could clear his mind to try and heal himself. That provided no comfort. The pain was not of physical wounds. Vastra could only imagine what he had been through.

Vastra was worried about the Doctor, She thought that it might help if she could bring him some good news, some word of victory. She went back outside and scanned the local systems again. Before Clara jumped into his time stream, the sky had gone empty and local systems vanished in the Great Intelligence's destructive wake. She looked back up as one by one new stars began to take the place of the old ones. The stars were back, but it seemed as if there should have been more stars than there were. But then again that is the way it should have been. She blinked away the confusion in her mind. What did it mean, what were the implications?

Vastra hurried back into the dying TARDIS and checked on him. The flush pallor of his cheeks told the story of his condition. His face contorted with both real and passing of remembered pain. Though he was only a man in her eyes, he was one of her closest friends. It broke her heart to see him suffering so. She rushed to her friend's side and knelt down beside him. She gently cradled his head in her lap and brushed the sweat soaked bangs from his eyes. She tried to use as soothing a voice as possible. The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and tried to speak. She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Doctor the stars, they've…" She disappeared before the Doctor's eyes. Vastra was gone. She was about to tell the Doctor what was happening in the sky, but she vanished from sight. Soon even he forgot her.

He lay there alone on the freezing steel that made up the floor in the massive room. He remembered Simion triumphantly stepping into his time stream corrupting it. Then sweet, brave, stupid Clara tried to repair the damage that Dr Simeon had done by jumping in after him. He lay there alone, no Clara, no Whisper Men, and no Simion. The room was dark, empty, silent except for the crackling energy coming from the time tunnel, tracks of hell now. He could have sworn there were others that were here, but that couldn't be right. He remembered River had been there as well. He had seen her, but she didn't know he could. She looked as though she wanted to be helpful in some way, but she was an echo and unable to. After Clara jumped in to the pillar of light River disappeared as well but not forgotten. He was grateful for that small miracle

With an effort he turned around onto his side and gazed at the pillar of light that mark the passing of his travels in space and time. He lay his head down on the hard grating and closed his eyes, the light glowed red still. Clara obviously had not succeeded. Perhaps it was the winds that tore her apart, maybe it had been the Great Intelligence that had done her in.

Clara, his companion, sacrificed her life to save his, but it had been for naught. His timeline was now corrupted, but he was starting to think of this pillar of light to be the right one. He knew that was the way it was supposed to be. The lines that intertwined now swirled differently, but to him that is the way it should have looked. He looked at the lines, the scars of his footsteps and barely had the energy to weep the loss that he felt today. His only friend was now gone. He neither had the strength, energy nor tears to mourn her. Yet another person he had not said goodbye too.

No, he had two memories of this event. He shook his head, trying to sort out the thoughts and images. This was not the way it was supposed to be. Something happened. The Great Intelligence had succeeded. That thought firmly held in his mind.

He lay there on the dying TARDIS's floor trying to get his fevered body to obey him enough to sit up. He stood up using the railing for support. He winced as his body was still wracked by pain that didn't seem to want to end. With what strength he had left, he started to walk out of the dying TARDIS. As he made his way out to the war ravaged landscape the pain started to lift somewhat. He said goodbye to the dying TARDIS and walked out the doors. He closed the doors behind him. The doors seemed heavier now than they did the first time. He hoped he would never see tomb again anytime soon. The next time he wanted to see it was at his appointed time.

He was chilled, but it had little to do with his fevered condition. He lost in such a big way that his life was affected. He staggered along the path at first a few times leaning against the tombstones for support. As he walked each step became easier as he made his way slowly to the living TARDIS. By the time he reached the metallic machine he was walking almost straight. He gazed upon, it takes in its familiar cold cylinder shape. It always took this form, but it seemed as though that was false. The chameleon circuit never worked properly and was stuck in its original form. He reached the living TARDIS and took comfort in the warm humming that the machine created. "At least you have been with me the whole time, my friend." He opened the door and made his way to the console.

The Doctor entered the empty TARDIS. In the silence he sat down in the crash seat. He contemplated going to a bed somewhere. He was still not feeling well. As he sat there a double life seemed to take shape. It seemed as if he lived twice each life because each life had two separate sets of memories.

First Life: he had two memories. Both had had his granddaughter in them. However, he took a type 40 TARDIS that was working almost perfectly, except the chameleon circuit that fried as most of them did on that model. But In another memory He took one that was wonky in the navigation. One memory he had saved one of his companions from an illness after being in Troy. In his current memory the companion died because he went to the wrong planet. The old man was already bitter and grumpy, but this set him to be grumpier still. He took some bad advice from someone who directed him to this planet.

Second Life: He remembers always being able to get his friends out of jail. He usually managed to get his companions out of any situation. However, in this new line of memories He fails his friends in a big way in Australia, he never forgave himself. Someone convinced him not to impersonate someone this time. His friends get out of jail on their own accord.

Third Life: After the harsh punishment of being regenerated by his own people he is exiled to Earth. Everything was fine, but there was always someone or a situation that was always making him late for important events. One time it turned deadly for a friend and he was never invited to Joe Grants Wedding.

He was always kind to her so he did not understand why, until he was told he was unreliable.

Fourth Life: Now free to roam about the Universe again. He takes the first opportunity. He is determined to get something right. Destroy the Daleks before they become a menace. He for a moment questions the decision but one of the Kaled scientists convinces him and presses the issue harder than expected, almost goading him on. He had convinced the Doctor that they were abominations and Davros had no right to mess with nature. The Doctor agreed and did the deed. He was a changed man after that. He made his companions nervous every time he made a decision, even though he was free with his jelly babies. The Doctor clearly remembered though that he had dropped the wires that would have blown the nursery up and a Dalek rolled by and did it instead.

Fifth Life: There were few time in this Life that he messed up. He let the Companions take the credit and let them shine. This seemed to work fine. The one failure he remembered was when he was trying to get the antidote to the poison that both he and Peri had ingested. Both he and Peri ended up dying and regenerated alone into his sixth Life.

Sixth Life: During his trial with the Valeyard he was extremely cockey no one was willing to talk him down from his cockiness. He got out of the Trial through sheer bluff and walked out of there after defeating the Valeyard utterly. No one trusted him after that.

Seventh Life: He was scarily manipulative and manipulated Ace into not trusting him. Instead of helping her to trust him again, she left him soon after. He had to fight the Master alone in the cat world and almost ended up become a cat himself.

Eighth Life: He saved his beloved earth from the Masters destruction, but he freaked out Grace so bad she didn't want to speak to him again.

The Warrior life: It seemed this life was touched by the war. The only thing He seemed to succeed in was destroying his own people and the Daleks, which he never got over. Yet there was not a second memory.

Ninth Life as the Doctor again: He met Rose but he nearly drove her away. He could not hide how bitter about everything. He tried to show her the wonders of the universe, his role in the Time War and his past had only made him a bitter man, being the one to shoot first and ask questions later. Rose stayed because she saw the man he was trying to be, a better man.

Tenth life: Regret ruled his life and he seemed to take it out on anyone he faced. He saved it all for the Family of blood, The Daleks. He was sorely tempted by the Krilitain to join forces with him, but instead of just foiling their plans he out right killed "Mr. Finch" something Sara Jane had experienced before. Sara Jane was happy enough to see him again. But after the adventure said that he hadn't changed in a tone that stung him. He tried to keep most of his exploits from his companions after that, but they all felt a chill that he gave off when he rejoined him. He very clearly earned the title 'The Oncoming Storm'.

His life now: He was determined to put the past behind him as he came out of the regeneration madness. He fought like hell for every joy he could experience. He found it through Amy and Rory. But lost them to the angels in Manhattan, Clara helped him battle the Great Intelligence. He tried to get her out on the Internet, but it seemed the Great Intelligence was always one step ahead of him. It was because of Clara's new computer knowledge that helped get everyone out of the "cloud." He was a young old bitter man, too many failures in his life. He even once admitted that he would have stayed in the Pandorica had it not been for Amy and Rory. Even now, though, he had memories were of happier times, not having to fight hard to smile or find a reason to jump around the TARDIS. The current memories seemed to war with the memories that never happened of succeeding at everything he did.

He came back to the present. Looking back into the past did little for his mood or his situation. He got up, never being able to sit in one place for long. He wandered around the TARDIS corridors taking in what memories he could. His memories were changing; he wanted to hold on to the originals as much as possible. He understood the mechanics of the process. He knew the Great Intelligence could not totally wipe him out of the past, but it seemed his strongest memories are now new ones and they were not so great. The old memories were fading fast. He was trying harder and harder to hold on to them. Even now memories were being replaced.

As he wondered about the corridors, he came across the Ponds room. He really didn't want to go in there, but he did. He felt as though he was doing something he shouldn't be doing, even though he used to burst in any way with some cockamamie idea of what to do next. Now, though, it seemed he was intruding, bringing some kind of darkness that did not belong in that room. Inside was a mess, typical of the young couple. He smiled as he lightly kicked a way some tee-shirt Rory had worn. He was trying to decide whether or not to keep the room or delete it. Perhaps he could send some of their treasures to them at least. That wouldn't be breaking any time rules. He decided he would do that one day. Though there were a couple of rooms he had thought to do so in the past, but never got around to it, but had to be deleted because of one situation or another.

As he made a circuit around the room he came across a cabinet. It was filled with what looked to be wine bottles, and other liquors they had kept for safe keeping. The doors to the cabinet had been kept locked because of the jolts and bumps that occurred during their travels in time and space. For the first time this life he wondered what he would be like when he was drunk. No, He would not give in like that. He abruptly turned around and made his way back to the control room. He was about to touch the controls to delete the room, but he decided against it. Perhaps he would do it, but another time, not right now.

He went to a small room where he kept his own treasures and memorabilia. Something seemed wrong. The same numbers of small boxes were in here. But then key pieces that should have been there was gone. He could not lay a finger on what those key pieces were. He was a tidy man and everything was in order. Then, everything was wrong, and he was getting frustrated about it all. He tapped his head to try and keep hold of the memories he possessed of his life before the Great Intelligence had interfered. However, he was losing that battle as well and he knew it. The new memories were replacing the old memories quickly and he could not grab hold of the moment when they changed.

His head started to hurt. The headache got so bad he had to go to the Zero room to recover. The Zero room only hastened the process and soon he had the ghosts of memories of what should have been left. "Ok, I am feeling as if something is not right? I am alone now. I shouldn't be alone. I might end up like my last life. No," He proclaimed with resolution. "I refuse to be like that again." His newly lived memories asserted themselves and soon his memories of how things happened had changed. He had been almost evil his last life, if it hadn't been for his companions he would have stepped over that line

Out of all the strange mix of feelings, one thought emerged, tea. He wanted some tea, tea was good. It calmed the nerves and soothed his spirit. He went to the kitchen and heated up the water. Soon the fading memory issue became easier to deal with. He got down a particularly nice tea set and got some Indian Darjeeling Autumnal Flush tea. He began to think about certain things. Suddenly he was having two completely different sets of memories? His memory was perfect. But these ghosts of memories seemed to fight their way to the fore. He remembered telling Amy about memories once. It was ok to have two sets of memories? What was he thinking when told her that? It was rubbish. This was just weird. He was thinking about all this and by the time he had finished making his tea he was convinced the new memories were the right ones. He took a sip and let it warm him as a cold feeling set in. Suddenly tea wasn't strong enough for him.

He meandered his way back to the console room. He could almost picture his time tunnel in place of the time rotor. Another sip of tea and suddenly he wanted to be anywhere than here. He thought of a thousand and one places he could go eras to end up. He honestly wanted to stop, just stop. Find a place to call home, settle down maybe. He considered Earth. He had some happy memories of his time on Earth. They were not enough to keep him there for the rest of his life. With decision he put down his tea cup and started flipping switches, and typing in time coordinates. His eyes glittered as he felt like he had made the right decision this time. He turned on a time switch and went back decided to go into Trenzalor's history. There he would find a place where he could live out the rest of his days. He was tired of running, tired of failing. If he was to die on Trenzalor then it would be on his own terms


	2. The Warrior

Normally the TARDIS took him exactly where he wanted to go, but not this time. The console sparked and sputtered. The engines made a strange groaning and stuttering noises. The lights flickered and the TARDIS seemed to be pulled in a direction he did not expect. He used every trick in the book he could think of to right the TARDIS and put her back on track. Then he realized the TARDIS was not only moving in time, but space as well. He was going somewhere totally different. The machine was fighting him on the issue. This was needless to say strange. The TARDIS had other ideas about where to go.

"Oh, what? What are you doing? Are you against me too, girl?" He whined. He tried desperately to get the ship to obey. Strangely, this seemed familiar, but that didn't make sense at all. The TARDIS always took him exactly where and when he wanted to go. He threw his hands up into the air. "Fine, just do what you want to do, see if I care." He was about to leave the console room then he turned around. "And since when did you develop a personality?" He listened to the humming and grinding of the engines, There was an odd shake as if the TARDIS could not hold together. He noticed that if he got rid of some of the room the machine just might hold together. He deleted Clara's room and the room that was intended to have dance classes. It was Amy's idea after the wedding. She was sure the Doctor did not know how to dance and was determined to teach him. Deleting those rooms seemed to help as the TARDIS steadied a bit. This was the this was the last time he was going to lose the Zero room.

He went back to the console and leaned against the control panels. His head hung as he gathered up his wits. He was speaking to the machine. Since there was no one else to speak to, he raised his head back up. His face went with his thoughts as he spoke, "I am officially going crazy, as if the universe needed another mad Time Lord. Might as well, no one else around."

"Ok girl, sorry I yelled at you. Where are you taking me, Bessie?" He remembered his car he had back in the 1970's Earth years. That didn't feel right. He disregarded the notion of naming the TARDIS, it was a machine anyway. He swung the screen around so that he could get a better look at what the TARDIS was doing. . "Do you want to cause the universe to explode? I can't go there. I can't go back to then." The TARDIS stopped and he stepped on the broken tea cup had gotten from the East India Company.

He went up to the doors and tapped lightly against the wood. He fidgeted with the bow tie he was wearing and put a grim determination on his face. He took several deep breaths as he readied himself to find what was behind those doors. He opened them and saw Dalek ships surrounding his home world. The world below burned by constant fires that seemed not end. He could feel the force of the blasts coming from the defensive troops. He was in the middle years of the Time War.

To himself, "Why are we here?" He didn't need to see this again. The want for something stronger than tea came back too strong to ignore anymore. Of all the days he had to be brought here it had to be today, the start or end of a string of failures.

There was a call coming in on the console. He closed the doors and routed the hail to come through the internal speakers. "This is TARDIS 40-304. You're coming in loud and clear."

"I am in TARDIS 40-305" It was an older man speaking and the voice was all too familiar. Upon hearing that voice the Doctor paled to a shade of white one would expect a ghost to take on. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"This is the Doctor. And that is what I am trying to find out. I am not even supposed to be able to be here. My TARDIS seems to have developed a glitch, took me to this time period. I don't even want to be here." He held on to the panel as a force blast shook the ship.

"Type 40's seemed to always have one glitch or another. Wait. Why? You know what don't…" The conversation was cut off by a loud bang, as if some kind of bomb blew up.

The Doctor was silent listening to the dead air. "Are you there Warrior? Come in."

"I'm," there was a cough as the person on the other end recovered his breath. "I'm fine. I am to answer your question, obviously"

This was the last person he would have ever wanted to speak to. Of all his past lives he would have chosen it wasn't him. He pounded the console and leaned his head back trying to calming his emotions. He was that doing very well. " Meeting up like this, there must be a reason. Where should we meet that would be safe. I would rather not die here." Under his breath he muttered. "Though, I know where we end up"

"I know of a place. I will send you the coordinates. "The other end abruptly ended.

The Doctor was not looking forward to this meeting. The coordinates came through in the graceful circles of his language. He disappeared into the corridors of the TARDIS before he left. He went to the Pond's liquor cabinet. He really didn't care about how it would taste, tea simply was not enough with this situation. He used the sonic and opened the cabinet, since it was locked because of the jerky movement of the TARDIS.

He searched the bottles sniffing for something he might be able to stand. He found something called Guaro. It smelled sweet but had that alcohol smell that usually repulsed him. He took a taste and almost spit it out. He went ahead and swallowed it. It was sweet and bitter at the same time. Like him and his moods lately. He found a decorative flask and filled it with the drink. He took another drink and decided he could drink this stuff. He landed the TARDIS at the designated coordinates and approached the doors. Before he exited he took another sip, letting the stinging sensation take his mind off his problems for a minute. He opened the doors and stepped out. The stark desert landscape filled his vision. Sand flying in the desert wind blew into his eyes and he blinked to keep the grit out.

He walked out as casually as he could muster taking a drink from the flask again. He decided he liked the contrasting sensations of the drink. He stared at the TARDIS that was now before him. It was blue and had Police Call Box written across the top. The Doctor looked at it and tilted his head in confusion. He walked up to it and rubbed the surface. The texture was of wood but there was no wood for miles and miles around. He had never seen it before. Something nagged at him inside his head. This TARDIS should have been the right one. He took another swig since the alcohol seemed to dull the sharpness of these strange feelings.

The doors to the blue TARDIS opened and out walked an aged man, the years of the war was written over the man's face but it had not reached his eyes. The Doctor knew when that would happen. He took a drag off the flask and put it in his pocket. He turned around to the person that emerged. "Hello, Warrior."

"Hello Doctor, what's wrong with your TARDIS?" The older man's eyes grazed it over.

"What's wrong with your's? Mine never looked like that." The Doctor countered

"It's been like that since we left mid-20th century London." The Warrior was trying to be as friendly as possible. Two of the same people meeting like this you could never tell what was going to happen. There were stories of sometimes two incarnations of a time lord would end up fighting each other over some bad decision that the younger incarnation had not made yet, always a messy situation.

"You are the Doctor, or were, right?" There was sheer befuddlement in the Doctor's voice. The Doctor blinked out some of the sand that had gotten into his eyes. He could not take his eyes off the Warriors TARDIS. He found he was fiddling with the flask as he was speaking and decided to take another nip.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking like that?" The Warrior indicated the flask that had now become part of the Doctor's hand.

"No grandpa." He found a boulder and sat down on the hot surface. He offered the flask to the Warrior. The Warrior turned it away.

"Sorry, there Doctor, I'm on duty." The Warrior sat down on the other side of the large boulder.

"Since when did we obey the rules?" The Doctor glanced around at the landscape. He couldn't have been but a few miles from where he had done "it".

"Why did your TARDIS bring you here?" The Warrior glanced into to the younger man's eyes.

"Don't know. Maybe bring me back to something familiar. Figures it would bring me here." There was some longing to be here, but then the man's posture looked as though he wanted to run.

"So do we win? Do we beat back the Daleks finally?" The older man's voice was hopeful but resigned.

"Spoilers."

There was a long pause as the Warrior contemplated this simple word and considered the reaction to the Warrior. Then he looked at the Doctor as he took another nip from the flask. The Doctor was looking at everything except the Warrior.

"When did you start drinking, Boy?" The Warrior looked at the younger man with the floppy head of hair.

"Boy? I am older than you by, well I don't know how old anymore. And today actually, seemed like as good a day as any." He watched as the light from one of the sun's glint off the shiny metal of the flask

"What could have brought you to this?" The Warrior looked concerned at the Doctor. Something was not right about this. He didn't know this face so it must be a latter regeneration.

"As if you don't know, you and I have lived the same life. Why didn't I start sooner?" He wasn't yelling. He was cross, but his voice barely went over a low soft tone.

"What do you mean? We have had a great life. Ok, maybe we lost a companion or two. That was always sad, but things worked out in the end?" The man tried to sound jovial but there was a tone there with the Doctor that set his mind that something was wrong.

"What about Perri? Huh? What about killing the Daleks in their early stages. We frightened Grace away. Ace? We destroyed her."

"What are you talking about? Peri was taken from us by the Council sure, but we were told she was fine."

"What?"

"Grace made out fine after we left and she even wanted to see us again eventually, did you ever see her again by the way?"

"You're not making any sense, Warrior."

"We certainly didn't kill any baby Daleks. Sure, I was going to but I decided against that. A random Dalek did that itself. Of course I didn't mean to drop the wires where I did."

The Doctor looked at the Warrior totally confused. "You are the same person right?"

"I am beginning to think not"

They sat quietly for a few minutes. The Warrior decided to take the Doctors offer and take one swig from the flask, mostly so that the Doctor didn't drink the whole thing alone.

"Tell Me what happened, Doctor. " The Warrior looked into the Doctor's eyes.

"Too many spoilers"

"We wouldn't be allowed to meet like this if there wasn't a reason."

The Doctor was hesitant. He closed his eyes and made sure that the timelines weren't going to be affected. The time lines ran side by side. This Warrior's was pure; his was the same red color he had seen before. "The Great Intelligence is what happened." The Doctor looked about ready to cry "He stepped into the time stream. I don't know what happened afterwards. My companion jumped in after. She died. Isn't that a common theme for me, us." It was not a question.

The Warrior thought about all this for the moment. " So this great intelligence stepped in and what corrupted your timeline? He wasn't so intelligent then was he. You can't change time by wiping someone out like that. The worst you can do is change them, change things around and undo, but not erase."

"You have different memories, May be you are an alternate of myself. Stranger things have happened." That came out harsher than he wanted it to. He couldn't for the life of him think of anything that was stranger than this. "Sorry been doing that a lot lately"

"Perhaps, but let's check that. Come into my TARDIS." The Warrior got up and turned to the younger looking man

"Why?" The Doctor was curious. He took a drink out of the flask mostly to wash down the sand that had blown into his mouth.

"Let's just see what happens. I can scan you and see if we are the same person."

The Doctor seemed to not see any harm in that. Though he wished he didn't have to go into another Time Lords TARDIS. He hated that strange feeling. The entered the blue TARDIS, the Doctor blinked as he felt the alcohol buzz kick in and his head swam suddenly. This was kind of fun, he thought to himself. He was warm for once and he liked this feeling.

"I will run a scan looking for temporal and other such anomalies." He flipped some switches and a light passed over the Doctor.

The Warrior checked the readings. Concern crossed his eyes. "Well, besides being well on your way to being drunk, you and I are indeed the same person."

"That makes even less sense." He placed his hand on his forehead, right now. "Ok, we are the same people no changes in temporal energy, yet we have lived two separate lives. How is that possible?" He hit himself to clear his mind of his other racing thoughts. "Come on, Doctor, think" he berated himself.

"Take me to where you were when this happened." The Warrior was preparing the TARIDS to be left for a while.

The Doctor shook his head. "The Two of us, near our grave? What do you think will happen? I would rather face the entirety of the Dalek parliament than go back there. No, I can't. It happened at our grave, on Trenzalor"

"I have a feeling it is your grave now not mine."

"What?" The Doctor blinked uncomprehendingly." you think We have diverged because of the Great Intelligence. Why weren't you touched, then?"

"You tell me?"

"Let's just say I bury you."

"You must have buried me so deep that the great Intelligence couldn't reach? Why?"

"Spoilers."

He thought back to what happened. There was a blank. "Give me your hands Warrior. I think you are right, a divergent time stream, you are right. I buried you very deep into my psyche. I set you apart. You are not the Doctor."

Those words stung the older looking man to his core. He pressed on. "I want to travel down your time stream and see if things went wrong. "

They joined hands and they both closed their eyes. The Doctor went into a meditative state that seemed to clear away the slightly drunken fog that had penetrated his mind. He found the Warriors Time stream and sped down the twisting route. He saw himself through the man. Everything was wrong. But was it him or the Warrior who was wrong?

He was instantly sober. That timeline felt right, yet he had lived this one, or did he? They broke the connection. The Doctor wondered if he should take another drink and decided he would.

"This had brought up more questions than answers." He put the flask in his pocket and ran his finger through his hair messing it up.

"I saw your timeline as well. I see where the confusion is coming from" The older gentleman leaned against his control panel.

"What does it mean? Both of us can't be wrong and both of us can't be right. Why you? You should have been affected by the Great Intelligences meddling, why weren't you? I clearly remember being a big mess in my Ninth time around."

"Because like you said, I am not the Doctor. For once it seems that is a good thing."


	3. Riddles

(In many of the Audio stories novelizations and in the classic and recent series it is said that the Doctor could and did get drunk. He can shrug it off anytime he wants

The Quote comes from the H.P Lovecraft's story 'Dreams in the Witch House'. )

They decided to start by answering the biggest question was who was the anomaly?

The Doctor could not go near the capitol city. He never really did anything to bring himself back into good graces with the High Council. He took some bad advice from one of his old school buddies and now he never was fully exonerated of killing the President. While he was proven not guilty, he was never proven innocent either. So the Warrior went in his stead with a written request in hand from the Doctor. The Doctor knew this would take a few days, even longer than usual because of the War going on. He hid the TARDIS and himself on one of the nearby planets. It was uninhabited and it was like the desert they were previously in, a still point. He could be there in relative safety, Daleks aside.

He settled for a rocky barren planetoid and sent the coordinates to the Warrior. He went back to the liquor cabinet. He started taking down random potables and experimented, forcing each down his throat. He found he liked the rum, the absinth, and brandy and something called Jägermeister. By the end of the night he was plastered. He finally understood why tequila was called a finishing drink. He fell asleep in the crash seat the bottle of Kah in hand. It would have made Amy laugh seeing the Doctor with the skull shaped bottle in his hand. It may have worried her as well.

He slept for almost an hour, a long time for a time lord. His head felt like it weighed a ton, his mouth was dry and the dim lights in the Control Room seemed to be too bright. He wasn't sick to the stomach but he did feel like it was trying to do flips.

"This is not fun." He looked around and saw rocks with the names Amy, Rory, Rose, and Clara all sitting around the console, with faces drawn on them. He didn't even remember doing that. Knowing the Warrior was going to come back, he cleaned up the empty bottles throwing them in an incinerator. The rocks, he threw back outside. "Must remember to sober up before I sleep." He looked as though he was embarrassed as he looked around the rocky landscape hoping he was not seen.

He cleaned himself up and started to do research of his own. He drank some coffee then decided to throw something called Kahlua into it. He drank it and added it to his list of favorites. He checked some of the records that the TARDIS had taken. He went back to the very beginning. There were personal logs from his granddaughter, about how he had changed and she wanted to start her own life.

His memory was fuzzy about that day in his tomb. He clearly remembered the threats made by the Great Intelligence. He would reverse every victory, poison every friendship. But how? Didn't that already happen? Didn't he do that on his own? He was beginning to doubt his sanity. Did that even happen? Maybe he was going senile. Time Lords went crazy from time to time. Look at the Master, he was absolutely bonkers. He rubbed his face with his hand.

"Pull yourself together Doctor. You are not going crazy. What are the facts?" He began speaking out loud. In fact he looked at the TARDIS Time Rotor. "Ok fact I have memories that have accompanying memories. Fact the Warrior, who is me, has a totally different set of without the ghosts" He took a sip of the coffee. "The Great Intelligence had threated my timeline, I have to believe that. I choose to accept that he succeeded. Fine. A set back that is all this is. I was alone when I left the dying TARDIS, but was I alone before?"

He drank down the coffee quickly "No I had Clara, I firmly remember Clara being there. What is out of place? What am I missing?" He started to tap his head with his fingers as he sorted all this out in his head.

"The Warrior is right I have to go back. But not without proof of which of us is the anomaly. What can I do until then?" He leaned up against the center control panel and crossed his arms. "The Great Intelligence. What are you anyway?"

He decided to go into his library. There was something in the back of his mind. He had to scratch it. Along the way he took along another bottle of rum, Bermudez Ron Viejo Blanco. The Doctor decided to call it Blanco for short. He walked along the shelves and came across works of fiction by someone named H.P. Lovecraft. He read it through quickly. There were tales in Time Lord Mythology about creatures called the Great Old ones as well. The creatures were from the time before the creation of this universe. It was even suggested that these beings were from a time before this universe was created but no proof was ever brought forth. He went looking for those histories, He found a small passage on a being called Yog-Sothoth. The passage was no more than a couple of paragraphs. The similarities were so close he had to conclude that this was what he was looking for. He drank right out of the bottle without even thinking about it.

Where could he have first encountered the Great Intelligence? He was deep in this thought when he heard the TARDIS door alarm go off. "All right, I'm coming, shut that down, you goofy machine." The machine as usual turned off the alarm as requested. He entered the control room and set the bottle down on a surface that would serve as a shelf for now.

The Warrior stood in the control center, the older man had something in his hand. In the Warrior's hand was two cylinders. He handed the Doctor one of them and then the other. "There are two Doctor. Two info cylinders from the matrix. The one I am handing to you is mine. It is important that you see it. I asked the Techs to allow me the memory of what I saw from this one, I said it was important. They said if you had asked you would have been turned down. I saw yours too, what the hell, Doctor. You can no more carry the name any more than I can."

The Doctor lowered his eyes, he fidgeted with his bow tie, then twisted his hand and turned his face away his. "I have been thinking of another name but nothing comes to mind." He took the bio-cylinder in his hand and put it in the reader. He looked at it and traced how the Warriors life had went thus far. No spoilers for me, he thought to himself. It was all different. He was happier. The Warrior when he was the Doctor even had different adventures than he did. He watched a very different life on the screen before him.

"I would like to see Romana's if possible." He took a drink and put the bottle back on the makeshift shelf

The Warrior laughed. "I thought you might. Here." He pulled another cylinder out of the bag he had draped around his shoulders. "Compliments of the Lady President."

The Doctor skipped to where she started traveling with him. Why did he ever stop wearing scarves? Scarves were cool. He might pick up the habit again if he gets through this. She remembered being able to retrieve the Key of Time. He remembered losing it to the Black Guardian.

"Ok, confusing. According to her memory we defeated the Black Guardian, but then we didn't. Two separate memories." He tapped his head. "The Great Intelligence has created a paradox, one that overwrote my being there."

"Greater of the two evils, where is the CIA during all this?"

"Spoilers."

"I am beginning to hate that word" The Warrior slightly pouted.

"Get used to it?" the Doctor took a drink of the Blanco then sat it down on the console making sure it would not spill on the sensitive controls.

"Do we know something about the Great Intelligence?"

"As a matter of fact, a lot. Well when I say a lot I mean a little bit, well maybe me saying a little bit is an exaggeration. Not much really. But," he turned towards a corridor and indicated with a flourish that the Warrior should follow. "I do know that the Old Ones are involved that he might be one of them."

"Please tell me you are exaggerating again" the older looking man looked incredulous. They reached the library.

"How I wish. The Gods of Ragnorak, do you remember them?" There was a liquor cabinet in the library left over from his seventh self. He took down a bottle of what smelled like brandy. He poured himself a small glass of brandy and added some syrup and squeezed a slice of lemon.

"Yes I do, they were the people at the circus."

"Also some of the Old ones." He took a drink and puckered at the stinging. "The Great Intelligence is one of a race of these beings." The Doctor's face got real serious as he lightly tossed the books he had read to the Warrior.

"We, my past incarnation, have made powerful enemies." He proclaimed. He took another sip of his drink and sat down in one of the chairs sinking down into the soft leather. He toyed with the ice that swished around in the amber colored liquor.

The Warrior sat down across from him in an overstuffed chair. He watched as his older self got a faraway look while thinking. There was a silence that was thick and palatable. He was afraid to break the concentration. "Care to share what you are thinking?"

"I would hate to think this or even admit to this. What if you are the anomaly? But in a good way?"

The older man rubbed the stubble that adorned his cheeks and chin. "You're thinking I might be a restore point. That's good but, how does that help us. How do you restore a person from someone else? I may be you but we are divergent people."

"I don't know." He took a sip of the brandy that was quickly beginning to get watered down as the ice melted. "Our biggest concern is the Old One, Yog-Sosoth. We have his real name now but what do we do with the information.

"The Sisterhood of Karn could help?"

"Sorry but I doubt we are on the best of terms. I put out their fire. Someone else had to reignite it before they killed me. And they could have, too. They have their ways." His speech was becoming slurred and he was getting that nice buzzed feeling again.

"Let me talk to them, let me see what they remember."

"You know what, no. You have a war to fight." The Doctor leaned his head against the back of the chair.

"Yes I do. But this is more serious. If the Old Ones get wind that this war is going as it is they might turn their eyes in our direction. We should be keeping them as far away from this war as possible. We need to distract them."

"You're jumping to conclusions there. I can't give you any spoilers but the Old Ones were not involved in this war. I had never seen evidence of it anyway. In fact, I am more than sure of that." While his voice was assuredHe was gesturing with his brandy, nearly spilling it.

"Then we will both go. One of the Old Ones is involved already, and you know it. Sober up for god's sake. Eat some real food; I doubt you have in a couple of days." The Warrior observed.

"Fine I will join you on your TARDIS I will be sobered up and fed in no time." The Warrior left the Doctors TARDIS.

He didn't want to be sober. He liked the blissful numbness he was feeling right now. He had to admit, The Warrior was right the sisterhood of Karn was the best resource for information on how to fight the Great Intelligence. It struck him like a bolt. Just like Madam Kovarain had declared a self-proclaimed war with the Doctor, the Great Intelligence has declared war on the Doctor. Question was, after everything that has happened and he had done, was he still the Doctor.

"Change my name?" The Doctor got himself another brandy this time straight. He nearly drank down the whole thing. "Doctor doesn't always mean healer, a doctor can be a scientist." He threw the glass against a wall and watched as the pieces scattered on the ground. He stood there in the silence of the TARDIS. He sat down again with his face in his hands. "No I am still the Doctor. I can still teach others." He yelled to the air. "You ruined me Great Intelligence! You have declared war on me Great Intelligence; you are already dead in my time. I will be ready for you." He stumbled a bit as he got up. He let the anger seep away.

He closed his eyes and let his natural processes work and sobered himself up. He walked out of the library. His steps were more determined. He donned his purple coat dark pants shirt and bowtie. He smiled as he remembered what that bow tie was, sure it was in the middle of a fight for his life, but it was also the happiest he ever dare feel. He had married river. That hurried ceremony meant more to him than a long drawn out full on ritual that his people were want to do. River may never know how much it meant to him.

He combed his hair and stood looking at himself in the mirror. If he were to face the Sisterhood, he would need proof of the Great Intelligences meddling. He made a recording he could show the sister hood could not deny. With the Warriors assistance they might even listen to him.

As he entered the Warriors TARDIS, his steps showed a new resolve. His face showed a determination the Warrior recognized. "Hello again there Doctor. Welcome back."

"Thank you War Doctor. I'm sorry I was so rough with you earlier, I had a lot on my mind."

"War Doctor? I like the sound of that, thank you."

"We may not be the healers and the saviors we like to think ourselves to be. He walked around the console letting his alternate memory of how this machine flood his mind. "But, we can teach, share knowledge with others. We are scientists, and we do help. We are the Doctor, even in our darkest times."

"Did you ever get around to eating Doctor?

"I knew I forgot something." He smiled and started typing in some coordinates. "The Great Intelligence thought he was clever, and he had me there. But he was not as clever as he thought he was. "

"Why is that?"

"He declared war on me. He messed with my life, I will be damned if I am going to lie down and let that slide." He threw the switch and they landed with a thud. He took the holographic recordings he had saved and put them in the same pocket he had his stash of absinth in.

"Coming War Doctor?"

"Oh yes, I am." The Warrior looked at the Doctor's returned confidence. He saw a determined look in the younger looking Doctors eyes that would have turned anyone pale.

They left the blue police box TARDIS and made their way into the cave. He let the older looking War Doctor lead the way.

"Why are you here?" the old crone asked the Warrior. Then anger filled her voice as she saw the Doctor walk in. She pointed a boney finger at the younger looking man "Your life is forfeit Doctor." She looked confused her eyes passed between the two. "What am I seeing? There are two of you, two pasts, yet same person?"

The War Doctor spoke for the two of them. "We have quite the conundrum Matron. That very question is the puzzle we are here to solve."

The Matron turned away. "I will help but show proof of memories corrupted. That is what has happened here. I will forgive you if you can prove which memory is false, his or yours, either way".

The Doctor pulled out the holodisks and let the projection bounce off the brilliant firelight. The holodisks showed his memory of the Keys to time, His Romana's memories of the even and the War doctors.

The Matron looked at them both. I know who the pure one is. The one that is not the Doctor, she looked at the Warrior. You are the pure one, you are untouched." She turned her attention to the Doctor "I sense an attack against you, someone misguiding your life."

"I have my suspicion of who it is. Yog-sosoth." As the Doctor said that name the entire cavern became quiet. He looked around at the sudden stillness.

"You must fight him, against his own terms. Against his nature, you must find it in your nature to reconcile his mockery of this dimension. The sacred is the key"

She went back to watching the fire and ignored all their other questions.

They went back to the TARDIS. "That was supremely unhelpful."

"I dunno, we might be able to work some meaning out of it." He took out the cylinder shaped Flask and took a sip of the absinth.

"What do you suggest? Besides Drinking yourself crazy again. I found this." He tossed a rock at him with the name River written on it.

"You should have met Rory, Rose and Amy and Clara." He looked indignant.

"So are they future companions of ours?"

He took another nip from the container. "Look we need to focus. What do we know? I mean really know about the Old ones, beyond what the myths say. "

"That is all we really got. The biggest center for information that we had got burned up by the Daleks in their first few attacks. They went…"

"Right for the Knowledge centers, I remember. " Let me see your Library, I always kept one, I am sure you did too."

"Why mine?" The Warrior was rather protective of his Library.

"Mostly because we are here, and because you might have books I don't. "

They make their way to the library, and start looking at books. The Doctor goes right for the mythology section. He picked up one of the books and starts to speed read it. He closes it and wonders over the fiction section and looks for the Lovecraft books. The collection here was larger than his. He looked for books that made some reference to the Great Intelligence.

"Hey listen to this. The Doctor read out of Dreams in the Witch House." 'It was also possible that the inhabitants of a given dimensional realm could survive entry to many unknown and incomprehensible realms of additional or indefinitely multiplied dimensions - be they within or outside the given space-time continuum - and that the converse would be likewise true. This was a matter for speculation, though one could be fairly certain that the type of mutation involved in a passage from any given dimensional plane to the next higher one would not be destructive of biological integrity as we understand it.'" The Doctor read wearing the glasses that Amy left behind. "Lovecraft was smarter than he gave himself credit. Fact mixed in with fiction we should pay more attention to what gets leaked out." He gestures widely with the book in his hand.

"Extra dimensional Geometry, Of course Non Eucleic Geometry. The geometry that we use as the fundamentals of extra Dimensional travel, Time Flight, TARDIS's ."

"So we know how the Great Intelligence got to this dimension. I know the why. He wants a permanent form. I think he wanted Me. Think about it. How many times did this being go after us? Then why try so desperately to destroy us.

"All because we stopped him on different occasions? That is just insanity."

"Any more insane than stepping into someone's time line and screwing them up?" He took a drink of the absinth.

"Ok so he is using inter-dimensional geometry."

"So we use the sacred, Sacred what?"

"Faith? Witchcraft?"

"Close, but no. Have you ever heard of the Flower of life?"

"What do you have in your flask?"

"Absinth, I know right?" He looked a little too happy as he offered some to the War Doctor.

The Warrior rolled his eyes. "You just discovered alcohol didn't you."

"Well yes and no. But that is not important. The Flower of life is based off of Sacred Geometry, the geometry of this universe. We can use non eucleidian geometry to trap the creature and Sacred Geometry to defeat him before he steps into my time stream. "

"When Doctor, when he thinks he is successful we must be there to trap him and draw him out of time, and send him back to his own." The Warrior debated

The Warrior got up went looking through the books that lined the massive shelves. "So where are the books about this flower of life, Sacred Geometry. "

"Drunvalo Melchizedek. There are a couple of others, you might have to disregard some of the new age-y-ness, but I am sure you will get the jist, it was written by a human after all."

"Right, right, I understand. " He found the book the Doctor had mentioned. He spent 20 minutes to get half way through the book. He could have been through the whole book in five if the rambling writing had made sense. The Warrior scratched his head. "I can't make head or tails of this man's writing."

"Try the Arodain Theory of Applied Logic with the Philosophy of the Circle. Might help."

"Ah!" They spent the night searching through the books, until the doctor forgot to sober up and fell asleep his head inside a book drooling into the pages.

"Doctor, Doctor." He shook the sleeping Time Lord. "Doctor, wake up." The Doctor muttered something about not wanting to become a Cyber Planner.

"Well, he has to learn somehow?" The War Doctor remembered when he first got drunk this incarnation. He started coming on to some of the ladies in the bar got kicked out of the bar after a brawl that was mostly his fault and somewhat not.

"The Doctor is in" The Doctor suddenly wakes up. "I got it!" he held his head his head swam unpleasantly as he jerked up with the idea he had forming. "I will get to it when the room stops spinning."

"What is it, Doctor."

"The Flower of life represents the structure of life; it's one of the basis of this universe. How something can come from nothing. "

"Go on." The Warrior was intensely interested..

"So, What if we gave him what he wanted."

"A form using the flower of life! The geometry is antithetical to his existence. The Warrior considered the options. "We trap him and give him his own form. The geometric principles would cancel him out." The Warrior put his hands on his head as the concept formed in his mind as well.

"We use his geometry to trap him and draw him out of my timeline." The Doctor Claps his hands and points to the Warrior

"I will jump in and restore your Timeline."

"Yes! Wait! What? No!" the tone in the Doctors voice grew firmer with each word.

"I have been thinking about it while you slept. It's not my time line. But I am you. I will be back to my own time because I would still exist. You wouldn't ,well this version of you wouldn't exist anymore."

"No, I can't I wouldn't exist with you. I can't let you risk it." He held up his finger in a chiding gesture.

"I am untouched by the Great Intelligence. I would be fine; I would be restored along with you. Let me do this. Let me be the Doctor again, at least this once."

The Doctor took out his flask and took another sip. He wasn't going to but he needed some distraction so he could come up with a rebuttal. He took a couple of drinks before he realized he could not come up with something. "Well then, now I know what it is like to be on the other side of one of my crazier plans."


	4. River

The calculations were immense. There were two parts to work on, one set to determine how to keep the Great Intelligence inside the trap, the other how to draw him out of the timeline before The Doctor was destroyed. They would eventually have to work in their separate TARDIS. They determined that the War Doctor was going to have to do that. Be in the room when the Intelligence.

The Doctor took a break as he noticed the flask was now empty. He went up to the cabinet; he didn't care what he grabbed something called Jack Daniels and just opened it and took a drink out of the bottle. He was beyond caring about how anything tasted any more.

"Do I want to exist anymore? My life, as fucked up as it has been, do I want it to end? I mean is it so bad." He sighed and let his thoughts stop spinning. "No my life right now means nothing. Not more important than the others that have been manipulated and destroyed by the Great Intelligence. The Great Intelligence should be dealt with If it weren't me then it would have been someone else." He didn't care if the War Doctor walked in on him. He slid down the wall to sit on the cold floor, letting the alcohol do it's magic. He let his head hang, as he watched the focus and refocus on the double vision of the bottle's writing.

In this life he kept everyone at bay, so no one knew that he had done things. He threw Jex out of that town. One of the townspeople sided with him and got more to agree. What town was that, Mercy was it? He regretted that day since. Was he a monster? Was he what the Great Intelligence made him out to be? Should he continue, He took two draws from the bottle and started crying? He didn't even know where it came from he just started crying his eyes out. "Stop it Doctor." He told himself, he slapped himself hard, but he kind of wished he had a Jackie slap or even one of the good stingy Clara smacks. "This is stupid. You are the Doctor a crazy madman with a box. You don't brood." The worse a person to lie to is yourself and he just told himself a whopper.

He had that haunting feeling that the adventure didn't go that way, it didn't end that way. He got up and walked to the original TARDIS control panel, He messed up this life, if he was the monster that the Great Intelligence then so be it. The created monster would have a target, the Great Intelligence. He did not want to be this. He wanted the happiness that he seemed to have in these ghost memories. The War Doctor had those memories. Yes, if it meant the destruction of the Great Intelligence, then by all means let his life mean something besides leaving behind a wake of chaos.

He took another draw off the bottle and set to work on the calculations he was set to use. The first set was to suspend time using the TARDIS. The second sets of computations were to figure out how to draw what he termed creature out of his timeline. These took hours he even had a sandwich while he worked thought and entered, accompanied of course by coffee with Irish cream mixed into it.

He had the idea, trap him in a shape. Something the Intelligence could get lost in. That would hold him until he could find a form to cancel him out. He went downstairs to the room where he could create anything he needed. He opened the command board and typed in the dimensions he wanted. There was a box that appeared it looked as big as the Moment. The sides opened up to reveal a light inside. He closed it quickly.

He carried it out to the central room. This would be a good back up plan if something went wrong. He had learned to have three plans in case one went wrong. It was definitely heavier than the Moment was. The Doctor looked at his handy work. He would explain the presence of the box to the Warrior.

The Doctor then thought of a plan to send the creature back to his own dimension. While he thought about the next plan the computer came through the first round of computation results. There were corrections that needed to be made with the set that would draw the Great Intelligence out of his timeline. Corrections were made and he ran it again. He was paranoid, but he wanted this to succeed on all fronts. He was going to make this work, like he did with the old ship that had been on top of Craig's flat., one of the few times a plan of his succeeded without someone having to step in to help.

The other consideration was the fact that Doctor Simion was scattered across his timeline, like confetti as he had compared it to. How do you gather confetti?

On the blue TARDIS, the Warrior was working on a way to gather the pieces of the Great Intelligence back up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as electricity started to fill the room. There was a flash that caused spots to appear in his vision. Once his vision cleared, there was a woman in front of him, but her back was turned. She was blond and elegant looking even in what looked to be cargo kakis and tank top a. Her hair looked as though it was trying to leave her head en-mass.

"Hello Sweet…" She turned around as she was speaking, but saw another man standing there. "…tee. Her tone went from slightly sexy to anxious and weary. "Who are you?"

"The Warrior, and who are you, young lady?" His gruff voice seemed to fit his mood; he didn't want to be interrupted.

She walked over to him and shook his hand. "Professor River Song, Archeologist. Where am I and where is the Doctor?"

The Warrior looked at her, "You are in the middle of the Time War, Ms. Archeologist. It would be the chance of a lifetime to capture history if you do it right. As for the Doctor? He is probably drunk trying to figure how to fix his time stream."

"Drunk? He never drinks." Clearly River Song was defending the Doctor. Someone had to.

"I know, seeing how little it takes to get him drunk that is obvious." The Warrior tapped away on a keyboard without even looking at her.

"When did that start?" She was concerned.

He glanced at the woman "A couple of days ago, according to him, but he could be lying."

She cocked her head with a "none too happy" look upon her face. "You're awful calm about it."

"What he does with his regeneration is his own business." He sighs and gets a pity him look on his face. "Don't be mad at him. His life is has been messed with whatever reason. He seriously regrets being here."

"I know why he doesn't want to be here. I also know that his life has not been easy." She was on the defensive, but being smooth and silky about it. If this Warrior whoever he was a potential enemy, she didn't want to relax.

"He will get it out of his system once his mind settles down." He seemed more concerned with what seemed to be calculations than the worrisome condition of the Doctor

"You don't know the man like I do." She did not like his casual treatment of her or the situation. "We need to get him to stop."

"That my young Lady is exactly what we are trying to do. I know him better than you think, Missy." He swings the screen in front of himself and read the information that streamed across the screen "How did you get here anyway?"

"Vortex Manipulator. I was going to drop in on the Doctor, say hello, and I find myself here."

He looked at her finally then put his hands on the control panel. He seemed to stare at her in a way that made her uncomfortable "His link to sanity, which is why you are here. The TARDIS has a mind of her own. What are you his lover? I'm just guessing.'

"Yes, I'm" She looked at him "Wait, the Warrior." It dawned on her as she finally recognized the name.

"Yes." The man looked at her through squinted eyes.

"Yes, a lover." It was easier to just say that than to go into the whole story, she didn't know if telling him about her shooting the Doctor would set well with him.

The Warrior looked at her. "I see. Well, I won't remember any of this if our plan works. So if you are going to tell me anything important go ahead." She was about to speak when he looked up at her "And for god's sake, don't you dare say spoilers."

He took his sonic, one that looked remarkably similar to the one in Rivers possession and tucked it in his leather pocket. "Shall we go see him?" He took her hand and led her out the door and to the original TARDIS

There was a noise at the door and the Doctor took a drink of his coffee only to find it had grown cold. He took the cup to a sink in a kitchen that he had created for Amy and Rory. He took out another bottle of rum with some pirate on the label he opened it up and took a good gulp of it.

"Warrior I thought of something we can…" he rounded the corner to enter the control room not only the older gentleman but also a familiar friendly face. "River, you, you can't be here, especially here. It's too dangerous. Please," He set the bottle down and took her hands in his, he smelled heavily of alcohol. "Please go back. This rock that we sit on could burn away."

"Warrior my I speak with the Doctor, alone?" She turned her head, his way but didn't look at him.

"I will be, elsewhere. I will take this and have a look at this contraption." Indicated the Maze box.

"River, give me just a few minutes to speak to the Warrior and you will have my undivided attention." He gestured towards the Warrior with one hand and the other hand placed lightly on her shoulder. She nodded.

He kept looking at River as he joined the Warrior who was just about to exit the original TARDIS "That is a prison for the great intelligence in case we cannot destroy him."

"I see, I will take a look at it." He look at the woman then back at the Doctor. He smiled and had this go get 'em tiger look on his face. "I think there are a couple more books I can read. That Lovecraft fellow was on to something. Too bad he was not taken very seriously. I think in his works we might be able to make sure we have the right being."

"Thank you Warrior. And just in case we need to come up with a plan C." The expression on the Doctors face was deadpan.

"I don't think that will be necessary Doctor. Not this time." The Warrior started to drag the box out the door.

"Don't be too sure about that War Doctor." The Doctor looked as though he was forming a protest.

The Warrior lifted the box and carried it out to the blue TARDIS. The Doctor closed the doors behind him and leaned against the flat metal surface. Then turned his mind on how to handle River, She looked mad at him. Though he could hardly figure out why?

"You're drinking, Doctor?" Her tone and expression hurt him. Right now he would have faced a room full of Daleks rather than feel Rivers disappointment in him.

"I am not going to apologize or give you of all people some lame excuse. I think better of you than that." He had both hands on her shoulders, he was so gentle and sweet his eyes meant it. "But am also not going to lie to you, I know you would see right through it." He let his words sink into her mind a minute. "I sure as hell am not going to make promises I don't intend on keeping."

She understood his words. "So this is who you are now, a shell of the man that used to be able to turn armies, save me," She accused him, of a thought he had battled with since this all started. She was going on about his drinking and there were bigger problems.

"It was Rory and Amelia that really did all that." She followed him as he moved past her. He went down to the lower level of the control room, he took out his sonic and scanned random wires that hung from the center console and connected to the main router. He unplugged one of them. "I just put the plans into motion; put them where they needed to be, made them laugh when needed it. Give me your hand."

"No, I am not falling for that trick. Clara warned me about that one." She looked at him with arms crossed she leveled her eyes at his and seemingly put daggers where his hearts were.

He flung the wire away and let it dangle free; it sparked a bit as some of the wires were exposed. He walked away from her frustration showing through his posture and eyes. He raised his voice, "You can't be here, especially here, now. You shouldn't even be able to be here." He ran his fingers through his hair. He approached her calmer and looked into her eyes and kissed her deeply. He pressed his forehead to her's, closing his eyes almost willing her to share some of what he was feeling. She was only human; she could never have that connection. "Look, by tomorrow I may not even exist, so please River. I don't want you miserable or missing something so much, but would never be able to remember." Tears streaming down his cheeks, he took his bow tie off. It was the same bow tie he had worn when they got married and used in the hurried ceremony. The Doctor closed his eyes to steady himself. He did not want to do this. He started wrapping his and her hands together.

"What are you doing? Doctor?" She looked at him, her eyes going between their hand and his eyes. Slowly it dawned on her and she started shaking her head no.

"Wife of mine, I release you from your vows, any promises that have been made between us. I fear for your well-being, your safety, and your happiness. I have not been able to perform my duties as a husband to keep you safe, look after your well-being and see that you are happy. I have been unable to give you the life you deserve. I do this not just for your sake, but for mine as well." He unwrapped the bow tie from their hands and threw it behind him. It landed on the exposed wire and the bow tie singed and caught fire from the sparking of the electrical current. The fire didn't last long and the remains of the cloth lay there. He released her hand and turned away from her. He didn't want to see the pain and anguish in her eyes or face, and he didn't want to show her his pain.

He put a foot on one of the stairs and leaned against the railing mostly for emotional support. His circle of friends was quickly disappearing. She looked up to him she was trying to hold her emotions in check, but it was very difficult. She considered her words carefully. She knew what she was going to do and it had little to do with his opinion. "Let me help you, I ask you this time, as a friend."

He swallowed hard, not wanting to do what he was about to do. He suddenly turned to her. He didn't want to yell at the woman whom he still loves. He sounded loud and anxious and afraid, more so than angry, but he yelled as loud as he could. "It's not just Daleks that are the danger here. I am going up against the Great Intelligence a being of a time before there was a universe. You cannot be lost as well. River for your own safety sake, get out, just get the fuck out of here!"

The shock she felt was palatable in the room. She had never heard him cuss before today. She looked him over with her eyes not saying one word. Tears ran down her cheeks creating black streaks down her face. He was doing so on purpose she knew this. There was silence as she watched him as he simply walked up the stairs very slowly his back turned not even stopping to look back.. His steps were as heavy as his hearts were. She watched him head up the stair and out of the control room. Wordlessly she began typing the code needed to take her elsewhere.

He heard her leave. The smell of ozone was the only sign of her presence left. Or so he thought.


	5. Dalek Attack

The Warrior was working on the maze box. Heard the electric buzzing of the vortex manipulator and knew River was aboard his TARDIS. "Ingenious little devil isn't he, The Doctor. There are lens calipers and Ionizing radiation wave, and a particle zero-point Graviton. This is all very extraordinary." He was giving the Maze box a thorough checking and making adjustments here and there but very few were needed.

"He is an extraordinary man, but he is an idiot. Are you anything like him? Thinking that you and only you can accomplish anything?"

"What happened, uh… Professor." he didn't want her permanently connected to the time war so he didn't use her name. He noticed fresh tracks of tear ran mascara that streaked down her face.

"Because I wouldn't leave, he divorced me." Her voice almost choked up again.

"He isn't thinking straight."

"No, this is exactly him. I have to be honest with myself the only reason he married me in the first place… well…

"Selfish reasons?" He was distracted by the thought of heightening the refracting on the lenses that would amplify the magnetic points.

"Yes. You don't seem surprised about my little slip up." She looked at him in wonder

He put down his tools and gave the poor woman his full attention. "I can be a selfish sot. Don't think any of his incarnations aren't selfish in one way or another. What none of us will ever do or will never do, is play with someone's heart. To marry someone, that is something I would never take lightly, in any incarnation." He tried to give her a smile, but his efforts were lost on a woman who was spurned by a lover. He absently picked up a tool and was gesturing with it. "He genuinely thinks he is doing right by you, I can feel that. I don't think he would do anything lightly. The divorce thing, no he had his reasons. So are you?" He asked almost in the same breath as he returned to work

It was such a turn in the same conversation she almost missed it. "So am I what?" She looked rather confused.

"Leaving us, you could still be helpful to me, and he, in the long run."

"Oh, I never said I was going to leave." The War Doctor gave her a rag and she wiped the stinging mascara from her eyes. He looked at her as though he was impressed.

"Good, then you can be my link." He walked to the middle where the console stood. He pressed a few buttons and two ear pieces came up from some part underneath.

"What do you mean?"

"He has his plans, but right now his confidence is low. I have a plan of my own, and some help would be nice. I need someone in the TARDIS and in his. It will take one of the TARDIS's to run the time stop and the other to monitor me as I take the leap of faith as it were. How much has he told you?"

"Nothing."

"The plan is to clean out the Great Intelligence from his timeline, the Intelligence has done his worst and you see the result in front of you, the man the Doctor has become. Two, I jump in and restore him. I hold his past and the key to his future selves. Three and this is where you will come in, we will save the person who jumped in after. We will need a reminder for her who she is, something from her past. Her key as it were. I need you to find that out for me."

"Ok, what's his or her name?"

"Her name is Clara, I know of her from the Matrix cylinders. Please we need to restore the timeline. I already have permission to do what is necessary to restore to do this, use any and all resources at my disposal. Many timelines are affected by the Great Intelligence's actions, including The Time War's in less overt ways."

"I know her, I understand."

"The Time War is somehow unaffected by all of this which leads me to believe certain things were going to happen with or without, well me." He opened communications with the High Council. "Puts things into perspective doesn't it."

"Persival of the High Council Do you have an update, Warrior" There was no background noise.

"Yes, High Council, I have someone that can go and assist me with the mission. Her name is the Professor."

"We are getting readings from your TARDIS, you have a human with Time Lord capabilities could you confirm?"

"Oh, let's see?" He switched off the speakers and turned to River. "Care to explain?"

I was, conceive, on the TARDIS in the Time Vortex. That is the best explanation that we have come up with."

"I see, the universe needed another time lord. You were chosen it seems. Use your vortex manipulator then, And go find her key, you will know it when you find it. Just fill your mind with the time sense."

"I… I don't know how to do that. I usually just know things."

"I didn't teach you anything?"

"No."

"Well, if I remember this I will rectify that in the future. I promise."

She gave him a small smile. "I see why the Doctor is still kind." She punched in the time coordinates and left a puff of smoke and the smell of ozone in her wake.

A faint boom came to the Warriors ears. He knew that sound. It was the sound of explosions. He went to the doors and peeked out. The sky was covered with Daleks and both TARDIS's stuck out like sore thumbs among the rocks.

The Warrior knew what needed to be done. He loaded up on the weapons he would need and stepped out.

The sounds of electronic voices crackled around him. "TIME LORDS DETECTED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! There was shooting around the Warrior and he dove for cover behind some rocks. He looked down and saw a rock with the name Amy written on it. He shook his head and started shooting into the air, spray and pray style.

Three Daleks left their group and started shooting at the Warrior. The fire exchange was long. He took out a communicator and spoke into it. "Doctor, you might be a pacifist, but I could use some help out here." He ducked and changed position just as the first Dalek moved to shoot him. "Quickly!"

The Doctor knew what that meant as well. He was drunk and he wanted to stay that way. He liked the numb sensation he was feeling after dealing with River. But he knew he could not stay drunk and fight if he had to. The Doctor grabbed his sonic. He looked at it trying to bring the two images into one as he made adjustments. He had been thinking about these adjustments for a while, but could never get a chance to use them. The Daleks had evolved since the Time War. He was sure the new setting would disengage their weapons.

The Doctor begrudged sobered up and walked outside. He stared at one of the Daleks, he raised his sonic above his head as he found the right frequency. However, the second Dalek behind him shot from behind. The Dalek missed his head by centimeters. The blast from the rocks sent debris his way and he had to roll away before he was crushed.

"THERE ARE TWO DOCTORS! TWO DOCTORS DETECTED! THE DOCTORS WILL BE EXTERMINATED!" The Daleks came to a formation and started shooting all at once.

The Doctor was for once thankful for the more lithe body, he currently had and dived quicker than his younger self to safety. He coughed out some of the dust that made it into his mouth. He scrambled across a clear patch and pressed his back against a large boulder. He could hear the exchange of fire between the Daleks and his younger self. Safe for the moment he made the adjustments necessary to make his plan work.

He raises his head to glance over the rock that stood as a weak barrier between him and Dalek weaponry. He lifted his sonic to the Dalek and made it sound off. The pitch rose and fell, then he quickly lowered himself back down.

"THIS UNIT'S WEAPON IS DISABLED. ALTERNATIVE DEFENSES ACTIVATED."

The Doctor predicted that and switched the sonic to another setting, then repeated the process. There was a strange shimmer around the Dalek. "Fire, Warrior!"

The Warrior leveled his blaster at the Dalek and sent a powerful laser blast in the Daleks direction. Both men felt a satisfying explosion in the chest and they heard the screams of the dying creature inside. The other two came round and tried to flank the two men. The Doctor sets it what he was calling setting one and repeated the process with his sonic screwdriver.

The Warrior was having other problems. His weapon needed to recharge. He tossed it aside, pulled out a weaker, more hand held version of the weapon, and began shooting at the well-armored unit.

Warrior I could use a bit of support here.

"The weapon is useless for another 10 minutes."

"That complicates things."

The Doctors green eyes scanned the area for a more defensible spot. He spotted the gun and an outcropping. "Warrio, toss me your sonic"

"What?"

Your sonic screwdriver, toss it to me.

The Warrior tossed the sonic over to the Doctor. The Doctor calculated the shots being fired by the Daleks and moved just in time to be missed by one of the lasers. The Doctor stood up and ran towards the gun and grabbed it among the two Daleks firing at him and reached the better outcropping of rock. The Doctor used his sonic to open up the warriors sonic. There were small wires he pulled them out. He opened the power source of the gun and pulled out the wires there. Using the sonic he fused the wires from the sonic to the gun. The Doctor dug into his pockets to see if he had anything useful. He took out the a Barbie doll, a ball of twine and his flask (he forgot what he put in it this time) He took the ball of twine and tied the Warriors sonic securely to the gun. The sonic was now powering the gun. He ducks as a Dalek laser shot above his head. A quick nip from the flask and he raised up to show the Warrior what he did and moves again to get close enough to the Warrior to give him the gun back.

The Warrior draws fire, but moves closer to the Doctor. The Doctor takes the gun and lays it on the ground and scoots across the ground to the warrior. The Warrior picks up the gun and gives him a thumbs up. No words were necessary the repeated with sonicing the Dalek immobile and the Warrior shoots the gun for the final blows.

They both lay back huffing and puffing. The Doctor turns his head to the Warrior. "I don't miss this, you know.

"You got anything in your flask?"

"Something called Jägermeister." He handed the flask to him. The Warrior took a small drink and handed it back to him.

She was special wasn't she.

"We should get going before they come back.

"Right. Doctor…"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The Doctor got up and brushed himself off. He made his way back to the Original TARDIS.

He of course lied to the Warrior. The action took his mind off his troubles. It gave something real to face. He was starting to think that he was drinking to drown out the shadows. If any of his companions had been there and said that, they would have been right. Not that he wanted someone to tell him that.

He took another drink out of the flask as he entered the TARDIS. He looked about the empty TARDIS. He was alone, He shrugged off his frock coat and set it in the crash seat. His part was done, all he needed now was word from the War Doctor that he was ready. He found a reflective surface and saw what he looked like currently.

He didn't like what stared back at him. His eyes were no longer haunted, but empty. He just wanted to end this, end this life start over again maybe. He thought of going back to Trenzalor.

There was a soft leathery creak behind him.

"Your ex-wife is a remarkable woman. She got us the last piece of the puzzle.

"What did she do?" He barely heard the words that escaped his lips. He was not mad, but he really wishes she would just leave him be and let him take care of this.

"Well, she found something important of your companion's. A leaf?"

The Doctor smiled, "She said she blew into the world on this leaf. Why did she go and find this? I am rather confused."

"I would imagine you would like to get your companion back."

"If she is retrievable, sure."

I have a hunch that if you jump in after she does…

"I will be able to save her." There was the slimmest glimmer of hope in the Doctor's eyes. "Wait, me, jump into my own time stream? Aren't I the one that's been drinking nonstop? Your nutters!"

"Yes. I will tell you how to get out so you can save Clara." The Warrior sounded sure of himself, which gave the younger looking doctor some confidence in the crazy scheme.

"You will have this." The Warrior handed the Doctor what looked to be a cube of glass inside the glass was what looked to be a spindle that was turning continuously. "It is the same principle as your maze box. You will not need a maze because she has a form we just need to put her back together There is an out for her. She may have been unsuccessful, that may not mean she is gone. I have been thinking about it and I think that is why you have these second set memories.

"Paradox. Using a paradox to fix a paradox, that's just peachy."

"Exactly, it is something the Great Intelligence cannot mess up. Any kind of paradox he causes will mess up his plans as well."

"Let's create a paradox, then" The Doctor smiled, but inside he knew this was a horrible idea.


	6. The Intelligence

The Doctor walks back to the TARDIS. He takes enough drinks to down the last of the Jägermeister. He tilted his head up and saw a curious sight. It was a Gallifreyan war ship. It was firing at the stream Daleks that were heading the Time Lords way. After five minutes, the battle was over and the ship rounded and landed not far off. He walked forward and spied someone exiting the ship. He seemed familiar to him, but he could not place him. The being seemed to stop and sneer at him It wasn't the Master though the Doctor knew he had been brought back to fight in the war. Who could he be?

The Man sauntered up to him a large gun on his back His face looked elongated; he was very regal looking with long hair tied up behind him. He gave off an air of self-importance. "Are you the Warrior?"

The Doctor did not trust this man for some reason, though he could not place why. "No he is in the other TARDIS. You seem familiar. Did we attend Academy together?

"Sort of, there were a few years between us. I know you by… reputation." The Doctor could almost put a finger on him. The more the Doctor thought about it the less and less he trusted the man before him.

"Well, thank you Doctor. You are a legend in the making,"

"Thank you for the compliment. What are you called by the way?"

"Walt. I know it's an actual short name but I don't have the penchant for running off as often as you do." Simon smiled. The smile filled with cold calculation. The Doctor's eyes squinted. "After you talk to the Warrior I would like to talk with you some more."

"Of course, I would be honored." The man's mocking tone grated on the Doctor's nerves.

The Doctor would get to the bottom of the mystery of this man. He had his suspicions. Could this man be…? He left the thought unfinished. He first searched through the maze of memories he had in his head.

There were two of course. He had two outcomes of the Dalek Asylum. He met a Dalek that used to be a girl the other used to be a man. The girl's name was Clara. She had been helpful sweet and had been turned into a Dalek. She helped him escape by not only opening the doors but erasing the Doctor from the Dalek memory banks. The man was Walt. He simply wanted to be rescued and seemed inept at getting anyone out and succumbing to the Dalek. The Doctor almost died that day. He was shot twice, but the weapons were weak, but they were powerful enough to knock him cold. It was Rory who found him and drag him back to the teleport. Which one was the real memory?

The Warrior had to be warned about the Great Intelligence. He sent a careful mental message 'be careful of him'

The Doctor watched Walt enter the blue TARDIS.

But the appearance of the strange man could not kill the Doctor's mood, not tonight. He entered TARDIS this time almost happy. The Doctor smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long time. He took off his coat and draped it on one of the railings. He kissed the leaf he now held in his hand twirled around in his fingertips.

He went to the console, began typing, and brought up Twist and Shout by the Beatles. He began dancing all the way to the liquor cabinet. He looked at a book that was found stuffed in the corner and learned every recipe in the book. He threw the book aside and selected what he needed and made something called a Long Island Ice Tea. He smirked as he prepared to invite the Warrior over for tea. He made a bit more than just two servings in case he wanted more. He took a drink and decided to add this recipe to his ever-growing list of likes.

"Well old girl. We will be restored. We will know which memories are the right ones!"

"They both are Doctor." Said a voice from behind him. Walt's voice was smooth and cold as ice. Each word was weighed and measured.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks right in the middle of a low twist and he fell on his rear.

"Still uncoordinated as ever. That didn't change." He looked at the variety of bottles that now lay about the TARDIS. He picked the empty bottle of the Blanco and sniffed it. "This is new isn't it, Doctor." Walt dropped the bottle, letting roll off the catwalk and letting it shatter on the floor beneath.

"I'm Speaking to the Great Intelligence I take it." The Doctor got up. He puffed himself up and adjusted his suspenders.

"Yes, I am. Ruin a party did I? I am so sorry. You see, I am able to remember everything. Stepping into your timeline. Turning you into this." He kicked another bottle, smiling to himself "I thought honestly that I was going to kill you. Looks like I did worse than that. Judging by the amount of bottles, you've been drinking, a lot."

"You are supposed to be shadows, echoes" He raised his voice.

"I am realistic enough to do what your people dreaded. I changed history, and not just yours. Oh, and look, the universe stayed. It continued on whether you won or lost, imagine that, new stars were born. New worlds were created. Why if you want, you can explore this new universe and see new things finally."

The Doctor lowered his head. He liked to think he made a difference in the universe. "Where is the Warrior, what did you do to him?"

"Nothing, unfortunately. I can only summon him back to the War Council at Arcadia. War is a difficult place to put plans into motion, especially if you are being shot at. You would be surprised to know that I have saved a few towns, including your family's estates. While you were off killing daleks and going against orders to get to the forbidden weapons. I was saving this world while you were trying to destroy it." The Great Intelligence smiled. He knew he was rubbing salt in a very raw wound.

"I have won Doctor, whatever you have planned it won't work I will make sure of it. You don't have to tell me to leave. I am, but before I do let me relish this. At least in this form I will remember this victory, seeing you a broken drunkard. I told you, I would destroy you. This is much better, a living misery."

He balled his hand up into a fist to control his rage. "Fuck you Yog-Sosoth." He let out a humorless laugh. "You screwed me up just like you wanted to. You brought down the Predator, the Oncoming storm, the Bringer of Darkness. You are making the Beast! You now have a hand in creating the Valeyard! How do you like that?" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He was nearly out of breath and he wiped his lips of the spittle with the back of his hand. He stumbled for a second.

The Great Intelligence was about to remark when the TARDIS shook as if rocked by a large explosion. It threw both men off their feet.

Walt raced over to the doors and looked out there was a large weapon being used to burrow into into the moon they were on. His eyes went wide.

"As much as I despise you for thwarting me, I am part enough of this world to want to fight for it. Funny, isn't it, me fighting for the mythical Gallifrey. which is quite the irony. Do what you want, Doctor? Your part in this war is already being played out." He pulled his gun around and charged out of the doors. The Doctor raced after him. The quaking was intensifying. It seemed the Daleks were trying to destroy the moon. The explosion of the smallest moon seemed to happen around this time. He turned his eyes to where the blue TARDIS was and felt relieved to find it gone. Though where it stood was the maze box and crystal box. He retrieved them and brought them into the TARDIS.

Slowly he started to use the controls to move the TARDIS anywhere than here. He moved the TARDIS into empty space. He reopened the doors and looked out. He saw the Great Intelligence's ship take a battle posture and fire on the ship that was trying to destroy the moon they had been sitting on. The ship simply fired on the smaller vessel and there was a massive explosion that jolted the TARDIS about. There was no regeneration after a shot like that.

The intercom comes on and it was the Warrior. The Warrior sounded even more concerned before. "Arcadia is being attacked directly. They need all hands on deck. The War council understands the reason why you cannot participate. They are resurrecting several people including the Rani. They are even desperate enough to bring back the Master. Someone must bring some sanity back. I am Sorry Doctor but Arcadia must stand. I will join you on Trenzalor the moment I can. I am going to leave the box set it up so we can do this, and I can get back to the war."

"I understand." He turned off the intercom and went to sit down in one of the seats. He ended up slipping on the forgotten spilled drinks and cut his hand on the glass broken glass the mixed drink was in. "Fuck!" he repeated the cuss word and switched to a Gallifreyan curse word, again hitting the steel floor. He actually wanted to fight in the war. It was more real. He would have gladly switched places with the Warrior about now, besides sitting there fighting faceless monsters and his own inner demons. He took out the ever present handkerchief and wrapped his hand. There was a delayed reaction to the alcohol getting into the cut and he cursed in Gallifreyan this time.

"There is only so much a man can take." He said to himself. He lay there a moment not wanting to get up. In his own twisted sort of way, the Great Intelligence was right about a few things. He sat there in spilled drink feeling as low as he had ever felt before. He got up anyway and went to the liquor cabinet. He was not even sure he wanted to drink, but there he was standing in front of it. He opened it and grabbed the first thing he saw. The cabinet was more and more empty. In his hand was something called Everclear. He did not want to do it. However, he needed it. He could not place a finger on why. Was it circumstance? His face got hard as he took another gulp of the oddly tasteless drink he had in his hand. He closed the glass-filled frame. He saw his reflection. Broken did not describe what he saw looking back at him.

He did not even recognize the face that looked back at him. His face looked more gaunt.. His skin looked flush and worn out. His hair was unkempt his clothing was all rumpled and wet from the spills, He suddenly realized he had not eaten in he did not know how long. Not that is an unusual thing when he is busy. He usually had companions to remind him to take care of himself. He never missed Amy and Rory more until now. He still had that ache, he always would. He still mourned them. They died bravely at the hotel in Manhattan.

He shook his head The Warrior said he would meet him on Trenzalor. He took the bottle with him and went to the control room. He finally realized why the Great Intelligence never interfered with the Warrior. There was no time to do so. The War kept him from interfering. He would speak with the Warrior about him when they met up.

After landing on the same spot he had before, he readied himself to stand again at his grave. He tucked the leaf inside his coat pocket. He was about to put it on then thought better of it. He smelled himself. If he was going to fight, he should at least look like himself. He did not sober up but he did shower. Put on his old outfit. The tweed jacket, button down shirt red suspenders, red bow tie, high water pants and shoes. He brushed his hair, shaved and stood there looking in the mirror. The smile was gone from his eyes. They were glazed over in a drunken haze but he felt more like himself.

He went to the doors and opened them to the now horribly familiar surroundings, the bones of Trenzalor. He started walking, and the bottle started to become emptier. He drunkenly tripped and stumbled along the path until he came to River Song's grave. He knew why it was here. The Library was out of bounds of course. He wanted a memorial for her, a proper place to come and visit. He took out his Sonic and waved it around the memorial. It was his handy work, he recognized the sonic written letters.

He sat down in front of her grave. "I'm sorry, River. I left you in the Library, married you to get something out of you and divorced you for the exact same reason. What the hell kind of man am I."

He took another deep gulp and poured some onto the ground by the head stone. "It's not good for a man to drink alone." He laughed to himself. "Look at me talking to myself." He looked around and relished the plasma storm that seemed to occur in this area. "Fitting" he thought. He sat down and just stared at it. He no longer cared about himself, fezzes and bow ties be damned. He wanted to fix things for her. He wanted to fix the universe even if it meant him not surviving. This was not his universe he had long fought to protect. On the other hand, was it? Is it any more right this universe? This new universe had potential. He could clean himself up. He looked at the now empty bottle in his hand. No, "I know what I could have, no, should have been."

He waited for a couple of hours. He could wait no longer. OKk, I do it myself. I may not be restored to where I am supposed to be but I might be free of the Great Intelligence's influence. Hell the universe itself would be safe and free of his influence. The universe would be put right. I have to believe that. I have no other choice. The time for careful planning is over."


	7. A Respite from Darkness

He threw the now empty bottle in a random direction. He kissed his fingers and placed them on River Songs marker. He was drunker than shit as he stood up. He stumbled back to his TARDIS and retrieved the big maze box and carried it to dying TARDIS. At this point it was smaller than it would be in his the future.

He walks up to the doors and rubs the doors He leans in and whispers something to the doors. His breath caught in his throat. The doors open a crack. Already the bells inside were ringing as he enters. The doors seemed to resist his him as he opened them further.

The Doctor looked about the room. It was dark except for the glow of the time tunnel that was his remains.

Carrying the maze box up the stairs, he makes his way to the area that he would eventually find himself.

This is something the Great Intelligence would have tried to stop. But he is now dead. As badly as he wanted to celebrate that fact, he had a mission. He had to get himself prepared. The Sonic screwdriver was out and pointed at the maze box. The box was activated it was opened and ready. The Doctor picked up the box and was about to jump in when there was a voice behind him.

"Hello? Is someone here? Oof!" The Doctor heard someone hit the ground and turned around to see who it was There was a young black haired Asian lady at the door. She was wearing what looked to be a gardeners uniform. "How did this get open? No one has been able to open this monument" She asked from the ground. She tried to get up, but her ankle was twisted and it hurt too much.

The Doctor sat the box down and ran over and looked at her ankle.

"Oh, you'll be ok there. Hi. Who are you?"

"I'm Umeko Tsukino, and yourself?"

"The Doctor."

"The Doctor? Doctor… Jones, Smith, No you look like a definitely look like a Shwartz." She was looking at him with a mix of humor and annoyance.

"Just the Doctor."

You could have knocked her over with a feather as who this was had dawned on her. "You're him. You're the Doctor?" She looked inside the tomb. "You shouldn't be here."

"I know, but I normally go where I shouldn't." He held out his arm and helped her up. She used him for support and he led her into the dying TARDIS.

"We mustn't go in there." She was shaken at the prospect of going in there. But the Doctor was so calm she wanted to take comfort in that.

"It's ok , I've been inside already. You're the grounds keeper correct?"

"Yea, I lost a bet and have to come over here to clean up. No one likes coming over here to this part. The big cylinder thing creeps everyone out. They say it used to be smaller but it grows, it's not natural."

The Doctor just chuckled softly. "The cylinder thing is called a TARDIS. As TARDIS's die all the insides leak out into the outside. That is simply what happens. It's actually perfectly normal."

"You seem to know about it." She seemed impressed.

"The same one is over there." The Doctor jerked his head over to the smaller cylinder. It reflected the lightening that flashed across the sky. "That small thing over there is the large thing over here." He explained as he widened the doors to admit the two.

They entered and Umeko looked about. "I often wondered what it looked like here. Where is the body or the casket?" She cast her glance around at the catwalks and ramps that circled the room she found herself in.

"That is not what this grave is for. As for a body? Time Lords try not to leave bodies. I've had enough bodies to find them… rather boring." He assisted her up the small steps. He was beginning to wonder if he should have carried her.

"You, you're a Time Lord. I have heard the legends, I never expected…" She looked around at the massive room she found herself in.

Expected what? He was curious as to what her opinion would be about meeting a "legendary being".

"I never expected to meet one so… young, or drunk. No offense."

"Yea," He was suddenly ashamed of himself. "I am currently not at my best." He settled her into one of the seats that still remained. "Stay here a dying TARDIS is extremely dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. I will be back. I will get something that will fix your ankle right up, if it is still here." He finished under his breath. The Doctor left her alone in the massive room. She looked at the column of light. It crackled with energy and seemed to flow about as the strands intermingled. She was mesmerized by the soft red glow.

The Doctor came back with a cylinder in his hand. She looked at it and then back at him. There aren't many of these. I was saving them for an emergency. He smiled. She liked his smile it was sad, lost, but there was something there. Despite the drunken fog that covered his eyes there was caring person under that. He opened the container and small lights came floating out. The lights danced around and gathered at her ankle. There was a warm feeling as the sprain was healed.

There you are, good as new.

She tested her ankle and stood up. "Wow, that's amazing."

He took delight in her wonder. "Yea, got these from an old friend."

"By the way there is a fine for littering." Umeko warned, looking mockingly stern

The Doctors face fell. "Figures" he thought.

She just laughed. "I think your fine is paid." She giggled as she moved her ankle as if to accentuate the point. He chuckled along with her.

"Since you are the occupant of this tomb, I can't say you are trespassing.

She looked at the Light. "So that is you? Or a future you? Or something? I guess there aren't words for a situation like this."

"There are but in an ancient and almost forgotten language." He took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it to the column of light. There were voices that came from it. "All of the voices you hear are me. Each strand is where I have traveled in time and space."

"You know. This is beautiful. What's that strand the one that sticks way out further than any of the others?"

"I don't remember, Let see. He pointed the Sonic at that strand and he heard Adric's voice on the day he met him. Ah the day I met one of my companions Adric. He was unreliable and I had to leave him behind. Not one of my shinier moments. I went some place called E space. That is why it stretches so far." He was starting to sober up naturally. He was starting to hate being sober.

He pointed to another strand and activated only that one. This was the furthest I ever went forward into time. 1 trillion years. The voice you hear was someone I thought I lost. Some called the Master one of my kind. For a shining moment I was not alone, not the last. He nearly killed me, but one puts up with a lot to keep one of your kind close. I'm Sorry, I am being an old man."

"It's alright. I don't mind. You look like you're dizzy are you ok?"

"I really should not be here. But I came here for a purpose. There is a paradox that I need to worry about."

"I don't know anything about that, but I do know one thing. You look like you have not eaten at any time recently. I am sure you are hungry. So before you do whatever it is you are going to do, let me get you something. I don't live to far away."

"What about your job."

"A glass bottle is the most interesting thing that has happened around here for ages. I have seen what this place looks like and that is more excitement than I have had in a very long time. I want to thank you for that. Job be damned." Her eyes glittered in the faint light with a small amount of mirth.

He led her out of the Dying TARDIS and closed the doors. "I'll be back old girl"

He sighed and led her to the living TARDIS. "This is a working, living TARDIS. It looks the same as in the other one." He opened the door and invited her in. Instead of a column of light there was a hexagon shaped console.

"I will take you home if its ok with you."

"Ok." She got up and was about to exit the TARDIS.

He flipped some switches and there was a deep thud. She was jolted and looked at him. He opened the doors and stepped out into her front yard.

"Oh wow, That was quick." She glanced about in amazement.

He smiled and looked at her through his bangs. He did like to show off.

She leads him into the house and he looked around. No a single mess in sight. He was afraid to sit down. He took off his shoes in fear of leaving a scuff mark on the floor. She giggled at him as he almost tripped as he took off his second boot. "You don't have to do that, you know. Follow me.

She leads him into the kitchen where there were cupboards and shelves. "I can make us some earth food something called, stir fry, or I know the Judoon are not known for their culinary creativity, but they have a spice they use to season their meat that I can use to make us some chicken with."

"I don't mind. I will be happy with anything." He looked around at the simply decorated house. It was elegant. There were delicate paintings on the walls very comfortable chairs without being garish. Screen panels with even more of the delicate artwork lined the walls. You have arranged this place beautifully. He looked at a simple orchid.

"Yea, my ancestors were from the Earth. When it was colonized, it was decided that they would hold on to the old ways of the Asian continent as best they could of course. I was raised to speak Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Chinese, Indian. Chinese was of course the dominant language. My family always claimed to be of Japanese descent. So I reflect that where I can."

Soon there was some heavy frying coming from the kitchen and He began to read some of the books that were in a bookshelf, it looked to be a comic book of sorts but then he realized it was a manga. He took great enjoyment in reading something called Beast 9 while he waited for her to finish. She came out with two bowls and two sets of chopsticks.

"I don't have any forks, So I hope you know how to use chop ticks." She stopped and looked at him as he was looking for a second manga to read. "Oh, you read my language then."

"I read and speak about a million languages and whatever it is I don't know the TARDIS translates the rest for me."

They spent the rest of the time eating and chatting about absolutely nothing. He was glad he came here. She was excellent company. She talked about her future, her past, her plans. She talked about as much and as fast as he did, he could barely get a word in.

She put down her bowl and got up. "I know what will top this off, a traditional drink, Sake."

"I'd rather not. I'm not any fun when I am drunk I am afraid." He didn't want to spoil the good time they were having but trying Sake was sounding really good.

"My father was the same way. He would start crying when the sun went behind the clouds. And apologize profusely about anything and everything." She seemed to remember fondly her father which was nice to know.

He smiled and looked down at his nearly empty bowl of stir fry. "I'm not that bad. I am going through some tough things right now and I tend to get fixated."

"Perhaps I can take your mind off those things." She didn't make a move, but she sat there in that come hither way.

The Doctor could smell the rise of pheromones. He was always uncomfortable in these situations. He supposed he was not married anymore. But this might count as being too soon.

"I don't know what you have been through Doctor. But you seem like the loneliest man right now. I would like to alleviate that for at least a little bit."

That night until the short day started she kept him from being lonely. He lay there afterwards contentedly with her sleeping on his shoulder. Right now this was the best thing to happen in quite some time. He wanted to remember this moment. He was content, sure the shoe might drop he was used to that. But for now, he lay watching the sun make its quick trip across the sky. He watched as the shadows crossed the walls and it became night again. "You missed the sun Umeko." The Doctor mentioned softly as he rubbed the soft skin on her arms.

"Oh, did I?" she said lazily. Then suddenly she bolted up. "Oh god. I never told anyone I was leaving, did I just miss it.

"Just, the sky just dark." He didn't quite get why she was freaking out.

"I have to get to work. She got up and started dressing. Look. I think you are the type to not hang around. But please. If you are not busy, look me up sometime."

"Why did you want to do all of this with me?" The Doctor asked.

"Life is too short, You seemed so sad and alone, no one should be that alone, not in this universe. "Just know," as she tossed her hair up in a serviceable ponytail. "You're not."

"I may not be able to, where I am going, but I should thank you. For... Dinner." He didn't want to admit that, but it seemed right that she should know.

"Are you kidding? Thanks for the sex, it was amazing." She leaned forward and kissed him and with a great amount of passion.

She put her shoes on. She stopped and looked at him with her head cocked for just a moment her gaze went far away. She shook her head as she came out of it. "I'm sort of psychic. I see something is going to happen to you. It's strange, but you are going to end, but you are not going to die, does that make sense?"

"Yes, yes it does." Concern crossing his features.

"Good. Sometimes I'm wrong, sometimes I am right." She got up, and

She left in a hurry not even packing a lunch. The Doctor got up and dressed quickly. He heard a ringing coming from the TARDIS. He rushed to the TARDIS and turned on the internal speakers. "40-305, This is the Doctor.

It was the Warrior. The blue TARDIS was having difficulty as it materialized.

"Doctor the Machine is fighting me every inch of the way." The Doctor could hear the protests of the engines and explosions that he remembered from the last time.

"Yea, it did that to me last time as well. Delete a couple of rooms and switch off everything once you get above the planet. Turn everything off except life support systems and fall to the ground. It's the only way."

He turned off the intercom. And tapped his fingers on the console. He was starting to feel like himself again. His mind was starting to clear and he lost that glaze in his eyes. The appearance of Umeko was perhaps good for him. He was about to do something extremely stupid and desperate. She had been sent to stop him, he knew that.

The Doctor knew that the Warrior would land soon and he went outside. He felt the ground nearby shake as the blue TARDIS landed. He coughed to clear the dust from his lungs. The Warrior stepped out, looking older than he did before.

Arcadia stands for the moment. "Let's get this done so I can get back. The Daleks has released something called the Nightmare Child."

The Doctor paled at that memory. He tried to recover before the Warrior had a look at him. The Warrior saw the color change. "Let me guess, Spoilers."

"You're catching on." They made their way to the Dying TARDIS.


	8. Fight

"Do you want to open it or should I?" The Doctor asked. The door stood close as a staunch barrier between the living world and the dead.

The Warrior looked about the landscape. It was not much different from the War zone, he had left. He was beginning to fear the whole universe was like this. He shook his head, stood at the opening, and leaned in. He was about to open the door when another voice intoned his name.

"River!" smiled the Warrior.

"What are you doing here?" The Doctor was not as happy to see her and seemed to not want to meet her gaze.

"I am here to rescue an old friend." She walked up to the Doctor and touch his chin and turned his face towards hers. She made him meet her eyes. "I don't hate you"

"I hate myself River." He hated to admit things like that to himself worse than admitting such thing to others. "What I said was true, you deserve better than me."

She dropped her hand and then brought her arm back and smacked him across the cheek. "That is for making a decision for me, Doctor."

"You two stop it. After this, it won't matter. He will be restored." He turned his gaze to River "You will have your husband back." He turned his gaze to the Doctor "You will fix your marriage proper like. Have I made myself very clear?"

They both looked like chastised children under the gaze of the older looking man.

"Now then, let's get in there and fix you up, no more mucking around. It's now or never."

They entered the room and took to the stairs. They all faced crackling red lighted column and seemed to have different feelings.

"This is you?" His gaze wandered up and down the column of light.

"Yes, my tracks through space and time. Our tracks though some are different"

The Warrior kneels down next to the Mazebox "I figured out what the divine Circles meant. It's a creation story. There was a consciousness, around It was nothing. Consciousness thinks space into being by extending awareness around itself. It can move to the edge and do it again. When that occurred light, mathematics came about. And so on and so forth.

"You get something called The Seed of life or Genesis Pattern." He shows it to them. It was a 3d six pedaled flower made of circles "I have seen it on various other worlds as well including our Gallifrey. I am going to put this in the middle of the Maze so that he finds it. Once he gets into the circles since they never end. The Great Intelligence will be trapped in a form, a sacred form. The first form if you will. He will be unstable and easily destroyed.

"Why would that make him unstable?" Asked river

"He is not of this universe, this dimension. He is made by different mechanics if you will Think of a fish out of water, well its nothing like that, but if that helps you to picture it." The Doctor tries to explain but words fail him in this respect.

"I see you have everything all set. Nice work." The Warrior praised

"I was just going to throw it into the Time tunnel and jump in myself." His eyes downcast, not wanting to look at either one of them.

"You are mad Doctor. You would have died." River exclaimed. "You were willing to commit suicide. Doctor is that why…?"

"There were many reasons River. I was not being cruel; I didn't want you to suffer later. This may not work." He turned to her and steps away, distancing himself away from her. "Even if this does work, this timeline might change and something a new me might emerge not a regeneration just a different me."

I don't even remember most of what happened in that other life anymore. It's been fading away for some time now. However, the Great intelligence has to be defeated, myself be damned. Why did you come back River?

"I can't seem to leave you alone. You do stupid things like throw yourself into your own time stream."

"Oh, he is going to do that anyway. After me."

I would have released this, He shows River the smaller crystal box is to save Clara if possible. The leaf is to bring her back.

I don't like it. Is this the only way. Doctor, this is your time stream. You can make the best of it. Clear away the Great Thinker or whatever it is you call him. But for god's sake, don't be stupid.

I will be back, hopefully, destroy the Great Intelligence. There is the slim chance to save Clara.

The Warrior picks up the mazebox and walks to the edge of the platform. He opens the box manually, and looks back at the pair.

Wait, Warrior, what if this does not work and you don't come back from this.

He sets the box down and walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. "I have thought about it. But the Positives outweigh the negatives. I have then the correct memories. The Sisterhood of Flame confirmed that. I was untouched. I was going to be corrupted, but the Time War protected me. Strange something so terrible gave me protection. I have the impression that I am still protected by the Time War, its influence if you will.

River is right. I can't jump into my own time stream. He fiddles with the crystal box. I am still going to save Clara, if it is possible. She will be restored.

I understand Doctor. You were right to have two or three plans ahead. I had my own plans as well. If I have to fight the Great Intelligence then so be it. I am a Warrior through and through Doctor. Now then Doctor He gave the Doctor a pat on the back the exchange of looks between the two incarnations was enough for both men.

He then turned to River Song. "I can't wait to meet you young lady. I hope things work out between us." The warrior gives her a warm smile and gives her a big hug.

She smiles and tearfully tries to joke "Spoilers"

The Warrior steps to the edge of the platform. He tossed the maze box at the time stream and it spins around for a bit before falling out of sight.

There was a voice from the time stream A laughter sent chills through The Doctor and River. "You think this will defeat me Doctor. You only put off the inevitable. You are putting me back together." as the Great Intelligence started to be cleared from the time stream. There was bluster, but panic the next time the Great Intelligence spoke. "Do your worst Doctor. You cannot defeat me."

"No, but I can." The Warrior jumps into the time stream and there was an explosion that knocked the doctor down to the lower level the hard way.

Inside the timeline the box did its job and pulled the Great Intelligence out of his timeline. Piece by piece the box sucked him in the angry Old One. He was being pulled back to a single form and knocked about inside the maze. The maze was simple enough until he found the center. He found he was in an endless loop. But each time he followed the loop he was feeling more and more solid. As if he was given a form. He relished in the sensation. Perhaps the Doctor had been stupid enough to think he would be trapped in this box forever. As he grew more and more solid he began to form new understandings. He began to work out how to get out of the mazebox. He then found the solution.

He had a basic gaseous form. HE found he could escape through tiny fractures that were the result of the moonquakes from the Dalek attack It was a slow process, there was no way he could measure time and that was OK, he would take all the time needed.

The box was charred by the time it landed. The crackling mass of luminescent lines gave off a faint reddish glow to illuminate the terrible work to be done by the light of the Doctor's very existence. The Great intelligence smiled at the thought. The Doctor can be so useful at times. He was ALMOST sorry he had ruined the Last Time Lord. The Great Intelligence had escaped the prison the Doctor had made. The last mistake he will make the Intelligence thought.

He finally escaped fully and floated in the miasma that formed his new body. He didn't have any of the expected appendages, but it was a form. He tried to shift and gather himself into something that would resemble a human form. There was something strange though. It was as though it was fighting him.

Well, well, well, is this how the Doctor appeases me? A permanent form? That is so like him. But I can do better than this now that I have the key. He goes back into the box and goes through the maze again to the center

The Warrior lands unceremoniously on his back. He looks around the bleak, rocky landscape before him, his mind foggy as to his purpose to being here. Did he succeed? Succeed, at what? He shook his head, looking totally confused. The only thing in his mind was he had to get to the bottom. He knew. He knew what? Something. He knew something moments ago. Then he stared down at the box and slowly remembered what he had to do.

The box was open. If he didn't close it the Great Intelligence would escape. The Warrior hurriedly closed the box. As the enclosure shut, something started to emit from the box. It looked as though something as oozing out of what looked to be tiny cracks and fissures in the structure. The Great intelligence did not have to escape through the open part. He came out of various areas of the box.

The Warrior looked confused.

"You though the box was inescapable, I see. I have the Daleks to thank for my means of escape." There was a smirk on his lips as he looked up at the imitation of a sky. "When they attacked the moon, they caused the box to micro crack. It was more than enough for me to break free of the box. The plan was good. I was actually worried it would succeed. It would have too, but the moonquakes worked in my favor.

"I can go back and redo it all. I could make his life an even worse nightmare if I wanted. All I have to do is to get rid of you. I could figure out how to interfere with you in the process. I should just kill you here and foil the replacement that takes your place. I would enjoy that too much." There was a quivering of the amorphous shape.

The Warrior gives The Great Intelligence a hard, calculating stare. The Intelligence was in a human shaped form with arms that dangled a little too loosely at his sides. In fact his arms seemed to get longer then shorten again. The "expression" the Intelligence had been that of sheer concentrations. It had a red glow to its eyes, and holes for a nose and a mouth. Though there was no form for these features. Even as he stood there the eyes and mouth seemed to want to melt.

"You have to be able to kill me first." The Warrior stood ready to fight for his life. "You hide it well Yog-Sosoth. You are having trouble keeping your new form. What's the matter, can't take the mechanics of this universe?"

The tension between the two seemed to feed each other. They feigned a move towards each other getting a good feel for the other combatant. Each knew that this was a battle to the last man and neither side would be pulling punches. The Warrior was the first move. He rushes in and throws a punch that makes the Great Intelligence double over. The Warrior notices his fist almost goes into the being's body. He brings his fist back with a sickening wet sound.

The Intelligence seems to absorb the damage, but he still felt the pain. He had never felt it's like before. It only served to make the Intelligence angry and he acts on instinct. The Intelligence lunges forward, grabbing the warrior by the waist and uses his momentum to knock the Warrior to the ground. The Warrior however, was prepared and changed his stance to center himself for the impact. He instead guided intelligence to the ground off to the side and side stepped him by a mere inch.

The Intelligence thrusts out an arm and grabs his legs. He pulls as he seemingly flies to the ground and pulls the Warrior's legs out from under him. The warrior lands in a twisted fashion on his side and he grunts at the hard landing. The Intelligence scrambles to his knees and flips the warrior onto his back. He straddles the Warriors stomach and pins the Warrior wrist down.

The two men struggle on the ground the Warrior started to sweat. Then, with sudden decision the Warrior lifts his legs and wraps them around the under arms and wraps them around the shoulders. He latches one foot underneath one of the legs to secure the hold. The awkward position forces the Intelligence to let go of his hands. The Warrior grabs the Intelligence's neck and brings his head down, the other hand balls up into a fist and he punches the neck delivering a powerful blow. He does this a few times before finally just knocking the Intelligence off him.

Intelligence gasps as the force of the blow sends him onto his back., he rolls away and scrambles to get up to his feet. He begins rubbing the injury. That actually hurt. He retreats back several steps, leaving a few yards between them. This was no longer a play in concepts, ideas and plots, this was true physical combat something the Warrior was not used to.

The Warrior rolls in the opposite direction and also gets to his feet. Without looking or even thinking about it, he takes his laser pistol and levels it at the Great Intelligence. He pulls the trigger and lets a pulse of energy fly across the space between the two. To his shock the Warrior misses. The Intelligence had dodged the shot. The Intelligence was used to having certain abilities at his disposal and he tries to draw upon that energy to try and defeat the Warrior. A snarl of agitation emits from his mouth as he thinks of a way to avoid pistol fire and the well placed blows of the Warrior.

He realized his body was malleable and the fact he had to think to keep his arms a shape. He decided to use that to his advantage. A slow smile crosses his face as he begins to stretch one of his arms out to cover the distance between him and the Warrior. He grabs on to the Warriors wrist that held the gun and twists. He begins to pull the Warrior back towards him.

The Warrior had no option but to drop the gun and he had to keep his balance as the Intelligence drew him nearer to him. He tried to fight back and only ended up kicking the gun away from him. The Warrior let out a strong Gallifreyan curse word and as he helplessly watches the gun get further and further away from him.

It seemed, though the more the Warrior fought the Intelligence's grip the weaker he got. He used his other hand and quickly pulled out a dagger and took a good slice out of the Warrior's hand. This sends a shock through the Intelligence and he lets go. The grip was good, but it had been deteriorating fast. The sensation of feeling pain was new and something he was not used to handling.

The Warrior could not help but notice that the Intelligence was weakening altogether. It seemed the more energy the being expended the less fight there was. The Intelligence came to the same conclusion. The only place he could go and regain his strength was back into the mazebox. The intelligence quickly looks at the box, then to the Warrior that stood between him and his insurance of victory.

The Warrior sees the glance to the box and works out why the intelligence would be concerned with it. It was supposed to be a prison but now the Intelligence had turned it into his salvation. The Warrior smiled. The Intelligence had a major weakness He pulled out a grenade and pulled the pin.

The Intelligence sees the grenade. It was not a leap to figure out where the Warrior was going to throw it. He could destroy the box and defeat the Intelligence utterly, but then in these close quarters the Warrior would be damaged, fatally maybe in here he would not regenerate."

The Warrior decided to go for it. I throw this grenade Yog-Sosoth. We would both die if I did this. One of us would come back, wouldn't we?

"Stalemate Warrior, you would do irreversible damage to the time tunnel, thus the Doctor is up there being torn apart by all of this."

"You know what he said? His exact words mind you 'the Great intelligence has to be defeated, myself be damned'. So you see he knows he will die here if this goes south. He is prepared, are you?

The Warrior smiles and takes out the sonic and quickly points it to the maze box. He activates it and the box opens up. The Intelligence knew they all would die if the grenade goes off. The Intelligence sees that the Warrior might throw the grenade into the box. That would cut the damage down considerably.

The Intelligence hurls himself at the Warrior hoping that his body would be enough to dislodge the weapon and set it off. The warrior grips the grenade and instead of throwing it at the box he pushes it into the malleable body and let go before the Intelligence could react.

The Warrior winces in fear of the grenade as the intelligence lands on his back. The warrior then goes over to the box with the few precious seconds left and kicks it in the Intelligence's direction. The Intelligence is still susceptible to the mazebox and is pulled in with the grenade inside his body.

The grenade explodes inside the box and the box is sent into shrapnel. All that is left is the misty remains of the Intelligence that hangs low to the ground. The warrior scans the fog with the sonic; there are no energy signatures, no sign of life. The warrior kneels down and recovers his breath. He knows what he has to do next. He recognizes the fact the adrenaline was the only thing keeping his body from falling into shock but it could not last forever. But he feels something in his back. He struggles in vain to feel for what it was. All he feels though, is blood, not so much blood as life force. He knows he cannot recover from that. He eventually finds what he was feeling for, a large piece of mailbox right in his back. That much 'blood' could only have come from a punctured vital organ. He was getting weaker, He had to try. He would be back to the war, no matter what, as long as the Doctor survived. He looked up at the light pillar that was the time stream, it was changing from corrupted red to the purer bluish white that it should be. He closed his eyes, hoping that the energy he released would be enough. It looked like a regeneration, but he knew it wasn't, he was giving his energy to the Doctors time stream. It was either restored himself that would be replaced anyway, or the Doctor that stood to lose more. He runs out before he could affect the right amount of change. He disappears from the landscape. He leaves the message there was no one left in his time stream.


End file.
